The Franklin Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of Kountry Kitchen On 153 recently with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Kountry Kitchen on 153 is located at 351 Carolina Mountain Drive, previously the location of Elmore’s Fish Fry.

The restaurant is family owned and operated by Michael and Corie Childers and John Wilson and Linda Sanders, serving good home cooking at its best including daily specials and fresh homemade desserts. On the menu you will find a full breakfast, wraps, burgers, sandwiches or early dinners.

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting for Nash’s Nest located at 112 Depot Industrial Park. The shop is located in a warehouse behind Mulligan’s Bar & Grill.

Owner John Nash isn’t new to Franklin. In 2005, he owned a small shop at 63 East Main Street.

“We were the little store that was 4 foot wide and 60 foot long on Main Street. There was lots of history in that little store. In 2010, like so many other retail stores, the economy forced us to close our doors. Fast forward three years and we are back in a bigger location with the same great prices,” said Nash.

The Leading Producers Round Table (LRPT) of the National Association of Health Underwriters (NAHU) has announced that Jeff Cloer of Wayah Insurance Group has qualified to receive the association’s prestigious Soaring Eagle Award.

The Soaring Eagle Award is the highest honor given by LPRT to recognize National Association of Health Underwriters members who have achieved the greatest success in demonstrating exceptional professional knowledge and outstanding client service. Cloer focuses his practice in the areas of health insurance (including Medicare supplements and dental), life insurance, disability income and long-term care. Cloer is an eighth-generation native of Macon County, a Franklin High School and Western Carolina University graduate and has earned the professional designations of LUTCF - Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow and CLTC – Certified in Long Term Care. He is also the president of the WNC chapter of the National Association of Health Underwriters.